One of the more specifically studied fruits in sports recovery and sleep research.
Tart cherries (particularly the Montmorency variety) are a distinct fruit from sweet eating cherries, more commonly sold dried, juiced, or as a concentrate than fresh — and one of the more specifically studied fruits in sports recovery and sleep research.
Tart cherry juice has been studied specifically for reducing muscle soreness and markers of exercise-induced inflammation after intense training, with a number of small clinical trials in runners and strength athletes showing measurable benefit — one of the more concrete, sport-specific findings covered anywhere on this site. See our overtraining article for where recovery fits into THE FAD's Exercise pillar.
Tart cherries are also one of the few natural food sources of melatonin, the hormone that helps regulate sleep timing. Small studies on tart cherry juice have found modest improvements in sleep duration and quality — genuinely interesting, though the effect size in the research is smaller than what a melatonin supplement would provide directly.
Most of the research uses concentrated tart cherry juice rather than whole fruit, at doses higher than casual consumption — worth knowing if you're trying to replicate study conditions specifically, versus just adding a genuinely healthy fruit to your routine generally.
Tart cherry juice (unsweetened) around the time of hard training sessions, or a small glass in the evening if sleep is the goal — dried tart cherries also work well as a portable snack, though check for added sugar on dried varieties.
See our Sleep pillar and Exercise pillar pages for how recovery and sleep quality both factor into your FAD Score.